TDS Conso File ZIP Password Not Working? Fix It

Let’s get the basics out of the way first.

A Conso File is a ZIP file from TRACES that holds all the TDS/TCS data filed under your TAN for a specific Financial Year, Quarter, and Form Type. Think of it as a master backup of everything you submitted — originals plus every correction you’ve made. You need this file whenever you file a correction because the RPU (Return Preparation Utility) needs it to figure out what changed.

No Conso File, no correction. Simple as that.

Here’s the thing. TRACES has multiple types of documents, and every single one uses a different password format. Mix them up and you’ll be staring at that error screen forever.

The correct password is:

TAN (in uppercase) + Underscore + Request Number

Say your TAN is ABCD12345E and the request number is 67890. The password would be:

ABCD12345E_67890

That’s it. No form type. No quarter. No financial year.

Good question. That format — TAN + Form Type + Quarter + FY — is for the Justification Report, not the Conso File. Here’s the difference:

• Conso File: ABCD12345E_67890
• Justification Report: JR_ABCD12345E_24Q_Q4_2024-25

Trying one on the other? Won’t work.

Head to www.tdscpc.gov.in and log in as a Deductor. You’ll need your User ID, Password, TAN, and the captcha.

Go to Statements/Payments > Request for Conso File. Pick the Financial Year, Form Type, and Quarter. Hit Go.

You have two options:

• Digital Signature Certificate — faster if you have one registered on TRACES
• Normal KYC — enter the Token Number from your original statement plus CIN/PAN details for 3 deductees

Once validated, you get a Request Number. Don’t lose it.

Go to Downloads > Requested Downloads and search by your Request Number. If the status says "Available", click download.

The file comes as a ZIP. On Windows, right-click and select Extract All. Or use 7-Zip or WinRAR. When it asks for the password, type:

YOURTAN_REQUESTNUMBER in all caps, with the underscore in between.

You’ll get a .txt or .dat file after extraction. Open RPU, pick "Correction", and import this file. You’re good to go.

Common mistake. PAN is your personal tax ID. TAN is the 10-character code assigned to your business or organization for TDS purposes. The Conso File needs TAN.

Your TAN needs to be in UPPERCASE. Every letter. Even if you normally write it as "Abcd12345E" everywhere else, here it’s all caps. Check your caps lock before you lose your mind.

Every time you request a Conso File, you get a new request number. If you’re using a number from last month’s request, it won’t match the file you just downloaded. Check the current one.

Some people add "REQ" in front of the number. Some add spaces. Don’t. Just the plain number after the underscore. No prefixes, no spaces, no extra letters.

Look at the filename. If you see "JR" anywhere in it, that’s a Justification Report, not a Conso File. Different document, different password.

This is rare but it happens. If your password is 100% correct and still failing, delete the file, request again, and download it fresh. Sometimes the download itself gets messed up.

Everything in this flow belongs on a desktop. TRACES is built for it, the ZIP extraction behaves, and the Return Preparation Utility you will import the conso file into is a desktop download. Starting on a phone is how request numbers end up half-copied.

Before placing the request, line up what KYC validation will ask for:

• For DSC validation: the Digital Signature Certificate registered on TRACES.
• For Normal KYC: the Token Number of your original statement, plus CIN (or PAN) details of any 3 deductees listed in it.
• Somewhere to write the Request Number the moment it appears.

The ZIP unlocks with the TAN_RequestNumber password, and what comes out is the conso data file. From there:

1. Install the Return Preparation Utility (RPU) for your form type from TRACES if it is not already on the machine.

1. Open RPU and pick the Correction option for the right form type and financial year.

1. Import the extracted conso file when RPU asks for it.

1. RPU loads the master data — challans, deductee rows and previous corrections — and you edit from there.

1. Run validation from within RPU to generate the corrected return file.

1. Upload the correction file back on TRACES to finish the cycle.

If RPU rejects the import at step 3, the file is usually from a different form type or financial year than the utility is set to. Match the two before blaming the download.

Once RPU loads the data, three checks save a failed correction cycle:

• Challan status. Matched, unmatched and overbooked challans behave differently in corrections. An unmatched challan is often why a deductee row refuses to update.
• Deductee rows against earlier filings. The conso file carries the originals plus every processed correction, so a PAN you fixed last quarter should already look fixed. If it does not, that correction never went through — check the correction status on TRACES before filing another on top.
• The token number of the last accepted correction. Corrections chain together. Building on a stale file means the new statement can bounce at validation and the whole cycle restarts.

None of this is glamorous. Ten minutes of checking still beats a validation failure discovered at 11 pm on the due date.

Requesting the wrong period. The conso file is specific to one Financial Year, Form Type and Quarter. Requesting Q3 when you meant Q4 gives you a file that opens fine and edits nothing you need.

Reusing a colleague's request. If a teammate already requested the conso file this month, their Request Number opens their download, not yours. Place your own request or get the file from them directly.

Ignoring the Request Number. It appears once, right after KYC validation, and the Downloads screen search needs it later. Screenshot it or paste it into the filename while it is in front of you.

Mixing up TANs across branches. Companies with several TANs must use the TAN under which the original statement was filed, not the head-office TAN. Each TAN sees only its own statements on TRACES.

Each of these ends with the same "wrong password" error, which is why the password keeps getting blamed. It almost never is the password.

That Conso File password error has confused everyone at some point. But honestly, once you know it’s just TAN_RequestNumber in all caps with an underscore, it’s pretty straightforward. Keep this post handy for the next time TRACES throws a password error at you. And if you accidentally grabbed a Justification Report instead, you now know where to look.

This is for educational purposes only. Consult a qualified tax professional for personalized advice.